Pruning implement



(No Mode1.)

W. J. NELSON. PRUNING IMPLEMBNT.

No. 425,820. Patented Apr. 15, 1890.

x .31 Arrow/Ey.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM J. NELSON, OF BLOOMFIELD, KENTUCKY.

P'RUNING IMPLEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,820, dated April 15, 1890.

Application tiled February 17, 1890'. Serial No. 340,729. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. NELSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomfield, in the county of Nelson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pruning Implements; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,l clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in pruning implements, and has for its object to provide apruning-cutter Cheap, simple in construction, and efficient in operation, and wherein a drawing shearing cut is given to the knife bythe expenditure of a minimum amount of power, the force being directly applied to the knife, dispensingwith the use of springs; and to this end my invention consists in novel construction and Harran gement of partshereinafterfully described, and afterward definitely pointed out in the claims, due reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, forming a part of this specication, wherein` Figure l is a side elevation of myimprovedl implement, showing in full lines the knife opened and in a position ready to make a cut, and in dotted lines the knife closed after the cut has been made; Fig. 2, a rear elevation of a portion of the implement, showing the mechanism for operating the cutter-bar carrying the knife; and Fig. 3,a section taken through the line 0c x, Fig. l.

Referring to the drawings, the letter A indicates the staff of my improved implement, having rigidly affixed to its upper end by bolts or otherwise a stationary knife d, whose cutting-edge a is substantially straight and at right angles to the staff A. The staff A is secured by means of bolts or rivets at its lower end to awooden bar or pole B, which may be of any suitable or preferred length, and at a point about midway between its lower end and the knife a said staff is deflected at an angle of about forty-ve degrees, for the purpose hereinafter described.

C indicates a cutter-bar having secured to its upper end by means of bolts or rivets a sickle-shaped knife c. The upper half of said cutter-bar C is slotted fora suitable distance, as at D, and is pivotally connected to the staff A by means of a screw bolt or stud d, which passes loosely through the slot I) and engages lower end of the cutter-bar C terminates in an annular enlargement E, the central opening forming a true circle.

F indicates an annulus fitting snugly within the annular enlargement E, and is eccentrically pivoted to the staff A by means of a pivot screw or bolt f, passing through the periphery of the annulus and engaging the stad A. The side of the annulus F next to the staff A is provided with a lug or overhanging lip f', which projects over the side of the annular entheir operative position.

G indicates a lever formed integral with the annulus E and extending at a tangent therefrom, which is pivotally connected atits outer extremity with a rod H, which rod in turn is pivotally connected with a hand-lever I, the inner end of said handlever being pivoted to a bolt or eye secured to the bar B. In practice I prefer to construct the bar B of wood, the knives a and cof the best knife-steel, and the remaining parts of wrought-iron.

The implement is designed to be held in the hands; but in pruning tall fruit-trees the bar B may be joined to a second bar, which may rest upon the ground, and the end of thehandlever D may be connected with a wire carrying at its lower end a stirrup adapted to be engaged by the foot for operating the device.

The operation of my device is as follows: The parts being in the position shown in Fig. l, the twig or branch to be out is grasped between'the fixed knife d and the movable knife c and a downward pull given to the end of the hand-lever I. By this means, through themedium of the rod H and lever G,the annulusF of the arrow, Fig. 1, causing it and the annular enlargement E, within which it rotates, to move outward and downward, thus drawing the cutter-bar C downward, and at the Same time causing it to oscillate about the stud d, the sickle-shaped knife c being thus caused to approach the fixed 'knife (L with a drawing shearing cut, severing the twig or branch with little expenditure of power, and consequently with the minimum amount of strain and wear upon the knives and operative parts.

a screw-threaded opening in the staff A. Thel largement E and serves to hold the parts in is rotated around the pivot f in the direction IOO .The action of the eccentrically-pivoted anter-bar, as shown, an oscillating and reciproeating motion is sunultaneouslygiven to said cutter-bar.

By deflecting the staff A from a straight line, as shown, the knife a, the movable knife c, and its operating mechanism are brought into the proper relative positions to give to said knife c the greatest cutting movement with the smallest amount of movement of the operative parts.

Vhat I claim is- 1. In combination with the staff carrying at its upper end aixed knife, aslotted cutterbar secured to said staff by means of a stud i passing through said slot and carrying at its a fixed knife, the slotted cutter-bar secured to the staff by a stud passing through said slot and carryingV at its upper end a curved knife and provided at its lower end with an annular opening, an eccentric iitted Within said opening and pivoted to said staff and provided with a lever connected to arod, and hand-lever for i rotating said eccentric about its pivot, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In combination with the staff carrying at its upper end a ixed knife and at its lower end secured to a bar, a slotted cutter-bar secured to the stai by a stud passing through said slot and carrying at its upper end a curved knife and provided at its lower end with an annular opening, an eccentric tted Within said opening and provided upon its under side with anoverlanging lip and pivoted to said stad, a lever projected from the periphery of said eccentric, and a rod engaging said lever and pivoted to a hand-lever secured to the bar carrying the sta, substantially as shown and described.

4. In combination with the stad A, bent as shown, and secured to the bar B and carrying a fixed knife a, the slotted cutter-barD, secured to the staff by a stud d, passingthrough said slot and carrying a curved knife c at its upper end and provided with an annular opening E at its lower end, an annulus F, fitting within the annular openin g and provided with an overhanging lip f, and pivoted near its pe'- riphery to the stad and provided with a lever G, eXtendin g therefrom at a tangent, the rod I-I, and the hand-lever I, all arranged and operating substantially in the manner shown and described, and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM J. NELSON.

WVitnesses:

JOHN A. TERRELL,

N. W. MUIR. 

